Health Systems
Maximising Positive Synergies
On the 22nd and 23rd of June a high-level dialogue on maximizing positive synergies between health systems and global health initiatives took place in Venice. Read the speech given by Margaret Chan(Director-General of WHO)here.
The Lancet have also published an indepth report on the impact of vertical disease programmes on health systems (The Lancet, Volume 373, Issue 9681 - 20 June 2009): 'An assessment of interactions between global health initiatives and country health systems'. Read more here.
Medsin Representative to attend Roundtable discussion on Health Systems with Secretary of State for Development in July!
Oxfam GB and Unison have invited Medsin-UK to a roundtable discussion with Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, to discuss the evidence available on the costs and benefits of private sector health care delivery in poor countries.
Medsin have been asked to prepare 3 or 4 main talking points on the evidence available on the respective roles of the public and private sector in scaling up to achieve universal and equitable access. Vice President for Branches Erica Pool will be representing Medsin-UK at the meeting. If you have any points you would like us to take to the meeting then please email committee@medsin.org.
New Health Systems Co-ordinator for 2009-10!
Congratulations to current President Helen Preston who was elected as the new Health Systems Campaign Coordinator at the Spring General Assembly in April. Helen will take over in August 2009.
The Global Shortage of Health Workers
Sufficient human resources are vital for health systems to function. However, 57 countries, most of them in Africa and Asia, face severe health workforce shortages. WHO estimates that over four million health workers are needed to fill the gap. Sub-Saharan Africa faces the greatest challenges, with 25% of the global burden of disease, but only 3% of the world's health workers.
Put YOUR hand up for health workers!
On November 20th 2008 Merlin launched its new two-year campaign on the global health workers crisis; calling for investment in health staff to become a global priority. Read the briefing here and the policy statement here.
The latest stage of the campaign is focused on midwives....
"If a mother has access to a midwife, a mother should not have to die."
Mama Zeena, Merlin Training Coordinator at Zedru Midwife School, Liberia.
Over 50% of women who die in childbirth live in fragile states; countries where the chronic lack of health workers claims hundreds of thousands of lives every year. We want to change that and you can help. Start by putting your hand up now at www.HandsUpForHealthWorkers.org!
We'll email you with ideas on how you can lobby for more health workers and deliver real change for the world's most vulnerable people.
Health Systems Month of Action with Oxfam!
Medsin-UK's Health Systems campaign works at a range of different levels to strengthen health systems in poorer countries. This includes campaigning to stop the drain of doctors from poor to rich countries and supporting the development of international health links to provide sustainable training opportunities for health professionals.
Our "Health Systems" approach also seeks to support other fundamental parts of a healthy society, such as fighting user fees that prevent any access to health care and opposing international restrictions on public health expenditure.
This month, Medsin are delighted to be working with Oxfam to build support for the release of their new policy paper “Blind Optimism – Challenging the myths of privatisation of health care in developing countries”, which highlights how *privatisation of service provision threatens to further reduce access to health care for those who need it most.
The paper was released in Washington on 11th February at an event hosted by Oxfam and the World Bank, and hopes to influence some of the major players in health care provision in developing countries.
Oxfam are calling for the World Bank and rich donors, including the UK government, to invest in free public health care in developing countries, instead of unproven private sector solutions.
The paper is being supported by a joint action with UNISON (the public sector union in the UK) and is calling for Douglas Alexander to champion public provision of health care systems in developing countries through the policies and practices of DFID, the World Bank and global initiatives such as the International Health Partnership. Click here for more information about how you can take action and support this great campaign.
About Medsin's Health Systems Campaign
'A health system is the sum total of all the organizations, institutions and resources whose primary purpose is to improve health.' (World Health Organization).
'Health Systems' campaigns at a range of different levels to stop the drain of doctors from poor to rich countries and to support efforts to increase the number of health workers in developing countries.
This includes holding the G8 countries to account, helping to ensure that they support the WHO in meeting their target of 2.3 health workers per one thousand people, and support WHO's ethical code of practice for the international recruitment of health workers.
To join the campaign please email:healthsystems@medsin.org
Our "Health Systems" approach also seeks to support more fundamental parts of a healthy society such as:
- Ensuring there are sufficient health workers, encouraging brain circulation rather than brain drain
- Ensuring the health infrastructure is sufficient and equitably distributed
- Fighting user fees that prevent any access to health care
- Fighting international restrictions on public health expenditure
- Demanding universal and secure access to food and water
- Developing home-grown research capability
15 by 2015
The 15 by 2015 campaign calls for donor organisations to allocate 15% of their vertical (disease-focused) funding towards sustainable comprehensive primary health care;
‘Primary health care and prevention are the best and most affordable ways to save the most lives and improve overall health’.
WHO estimates that better use of existing preventive measures could reduce the global burden of disease by as much as 70%.
However, the Health Systems campaign is not intended to undermine disease-focused campaigns, but, instead, to work with them to tackle global health issues from all angles.
Recent Health Systems News
Health Systems at the National Conference 2008!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Health Systems Action at the UCL Conference last month. The stunt served to illustrate the gross imbalance in the number of doctors working in rich and poor countries, using colourful maps and Medsin ‘patients’! A proportional number of 'patients' stood behind two figures representing doctors from the UK, in which there are 602 patients per doctor, and the Central African Republic, where the ratio is 1 doctor to 14,286 patients. The World Health Organisation estimates that at least 4 250 000 health workers are needed to overcome the global shortage in health workers, mostly needed in Asia and Africa.
Details of the stunt are also featured in the December 2008 edition of Student BMA News.
HIV and Health Systems Strengthening
The StopAIDS campaign launched its new paper 'HIV and Health Systems Strengthening: Opportunities for acheiving Universal Access by 2010' in London on 4th December 2008. You can find a copy of the report here.
The World Health Report 2008 - Primary Health Care Now More Than Ever
This year's World Health Report has called for a return to a primary care approach, that is people-centred and makes prevention as important as cure. Read more about the report and download a copy here. You can also read The Lancet Student blog here.
Global Health Watch 2
Global Health Watch 2, 'the alternative world health report', was launched earlier this month and contains a whole chapter on Health Systems. Please visit the GHW website for more info. Part B of the first Global Health Watch report contains an excellent section on Healthcare Services and Systems, including the global health worker crisis.
Health is global: a UK Government strategy 2008-13
The UK government has launched five year Global Health strategy. The report, which follows on from the publication of 'Health is Global: Proposals for a UK Government-wide Strategy' in March 2007, sets out the UK Government's strategy to improve the health of the world’s population, including that of the UK, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the rest of the European Union.
‘[It is] our responsibility is to harness the opportunities of globalisation to improve the health of people across the world, and in particular people in the UK’.
The report highlights key global health challenges faced by both developed and developing countries, together with an action plan for tackling them. One of the five areas for action highlighted in the report is health systems strengthening. Download a copy of the report
WHO's Global Health Workforce Alliance
The GHWA welcomed workforce commitments to reach MDGs at the recent United Nations High Level Meeting in New York. Read more here
Alma Ata Symposium
Vanessa was lucky enough to attend this event held at The School of Oriental and Africa Studies in London last month. You can read her report for the Lancet Student here
A good introduction to the issue of health systems the World Health Report on health systems published by the WHO. Read it here.
The World Health Organization website contains details on WHO initiative to strengthen health systems and tackle the global shortage of health workers. Read more here.
The Global Health Workforce Alliance recently published a draft code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel that you can read here. Medsin's Health Systems Campaign made a submission to the Public Hearing which will be available on the Medsin website soon.
Read more about Oxfam's campaign to make to make free public healthcare a reality for all here
The Health Systems campaign exists at
Recent photos from the Health Systems campaign
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Last updated on Friday 19 November 2010 at 01:10
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